The Swan Princess
by VioletFlame44
Summary: Village girl Lucy has no idea what she's in for when she wanders into an enchanted forest. Throw in an evil demon, a curse, a dashing prince of flames, a handful of fairies and a splash of magic, and prepare for a story that won't be forgotten!
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

A sigh. Dark hair dangles, sad, drooping, from a messy up-do.

Fingernails tap impatiently on the arm of a dark throne.

Legs cross, impertinent, over each other.

A long dark coat kisses the cold stone ground.

Another sigh.

Fingers drum harder, beating out a clacking, chilling tempo.

The other hand shifts, restless, meeting a pale chin.

A groan this time.

Breath hisses through angry teeth.

The edges of the large room flicker with red fire, casting long shadows.

Wooden doors creak on their hinges, flapping heavily, stiffly, like the wings of an injured bird.

A flash of sudden light.

A pale orb resting on a stone pillar flares into life. Red light paints the walls.

Dark eyes snap, sharpen.

Legs meet the floor, a spine straightens, all impatience gone.

The orb gradually softens its assault, light fading, the surface murky red.

After a beat, the image clears, sharpens to crystal.

A girl, blonde hair, holds her dress with one hand as she jumps the river at the forests edge. Gracefully, legs pointed, lithe.

A smile, deadly, razor sharp.

"Well" the man rumbles smoothly.

"Finally. Something interesting".


	2. Chapter One

Chapter One

(Hours Earlier)

A ribbon swayed.

Pink skirts twirled.

Legs pointed, graceful, curling through the air.

A window lay open, light white curtains fluttering.

A warm summer breeze.

Bare toes rise to greet the gentle caress.

Blonde hair waved merrily.

Pale eyes closed.

Lips moved, humming, softly, a sweet melody.

"Lucy?"

Limbs and mind lost in music, ears fail to hear the call.

Minutes pass.

"LUCY!"

The voice was not impressed.

The melody halted, abruptly.

Eyes opened, face cringed in shame.

"Sorry!" another voice called.

"I'll be down in a minute!"

An impatient huff rises, footsteps tap away along the hall.

A hand ran through light blonde hair, then a brush. A pink ribbon tied the golden locks up.

Bare feet are covered with brown slippers.

An apron tied hastily over a pink and white dress.

Light footsteps pattered the stairs.

Her friend waited, unimpressed, blue hair tied up with a light blue ribbon, a similar apron covering her front.

An eyebrow raised in exasperation.

"What would you do without Juvia? You'd be late for work, and be fired within the week, that's what".

Lucy rubbed the back of her head sheepishly, offering an apologetic smile. The angry scowl on Juvia's face gave way to a fond smile as she rolled her eyes and swung the door open.

"Let's go, or we'll both be late".

•••

"Thank you for your purchase!" Lucy called cheerily after the old lady. The old woman smiled, worn skin crinkling with mirth as she wagged wrinkled fingers in farewell. The door eased shut behind her, bell tinkling happily. Lucy hummed happily, spirits high as she leant against the wooden counter. Sunlight smiled upon the little shop, trailing along glass bottles and jars stacked in shelves, contents glowing yellow in the rays.

People passed in colourful blurs, the gentle sound of chatter slipping in to reach Lucy's ears. No one moved to enter the brightly painted red door, however, and Lucy soon planted her cheek in her palm, huffing in boredom.

"Lucy!" a voice exclaimed as a blue burr shot out of the back room. An apologetic grin painted Juvia's face, and this time it's Lucy who raised an eyebrow in exasperation. She waited, ears peeled for the inventive excuse.

"Juvia is so sorry but she left her… um… lunch at her house this morning! It is Lucy's fault, really, Juvia was in such a hurry to make sure Lucy was on time for work that she forgot her lunch!"

Juvia planted her hands on her hips, swapping the apologetic smile for an annoyed frown as she raised her head in mock anger. An unconvinced Lucy watched amusedly, a smirk painting her lips as she heaved out an impatient sigh.

"Well I couldn't deprive you of your lunch Juvia. You better run along and get it. Don't you worry, I'll mind the shop while you're gone. I'm sure I'll manage".

Juvia's face immediately glowed with glee, and she trapped Lucy in a tight hug.

"Juvia appreciates it!" she squealed, wasting no time and bolting out the door. Lucy waited until Juvia was out of earshot before snorting with laughter. Surely Juvia has realised she's figured it out by now? Each excuse was getting more creative by the day. What was it yesterday? She'd yelled something about having to check on her cat and was gone before Lucy could get two words out. Juvia, to Lucy's knowledge, most certainly did not own a cat. She didn't even think Juvia liked cats.

All this trouble, so she could go see her prince charming. Well, more like prince charming's guard dog. Juvia had a *ehem* miniscule *ehem* like for one of the palace guards, a handsome fellow with dark hair and a seemingly unmoveable unimpressed look on his face. Lucy and Juvia had been walking past one day when Juvia dropped her basket of shopping, being as clumsy as she was. Fortunately, the items were undamaged, and when Juvia went to pick up her basket the guard beat her to it.

He handed it back to her with a gruff "ma'am" and returned to his post. Lucy had thought he wasn't terribly polite about it but Juvia nearly fainted. She would have dropped in the middle of the street had Lucy not caught her. Ever since Juvia had a bit of an obsession with the man, and made up reasons to leave so she could walk past the palace gates and stalk him for a bit. Ah, young love.

"May I ask what is so funny, madam?"

The interruption was so sudden, that Lucy started in shock. Her elbow slipped off the table, and she would have rather ungracefully planted her face on the wooden floorboards had the man not caught her hand in time.

With a relieved sigh, Lucy followed the strong fingers clutching her own up to the concerned face of a customer.

A very handsome customer. With very warm fingers.

Lucy felt her cheeks bloom with warmth as she half choked half squeaked a thank you. The man smiled, a bright toothy grin that made the very air in the shop feel warmer.

"I'm sorry about that miss" he laughed in embarrassment, one tan hand ruffling messy pink locks. He met her soft brown eyes with dark onyx ones.

"I didn't mean to startle you". Lucy waved a hand dismissively, offering a kind smile to the stranger.

"No, I should have been paying attention" she amended, fiddling with a blonde strand by her ear.

"Are you going to answer my question?" he asked. Lucy frowned in bafflement.

"What was so funny?"

"Oh!" Lucy exclaimed, cheeks darkening even further. "It's nothing, just my friend who keeps making up silly excuses so she can go talk to one of the palace guards she likes!"

The stranger's eyebrows lifted, a knowing smirk creeping across his face.

"Which guard would that be?"

"The one with the dark hair and a scowl".

The man laughed heartily, confusing Lucy, and he asked. "Your friend wouldn't have blue hair, would she?"

An even more confused Lucy replied "Yes…".

The man's smirk grew as he explained, "I'm actually friends with that particular guard. His name is Grey, and he's been telling me about a strange blue haired girl who's been loitering around the gates recently".

Lucy snorted again in laughter. "That's her. Don't know what she sees in someone who has such an annoyed expression permanently fixed on his face. But maybe it's because he must spend so much time dealing with the royals, especially the prince".

The smile on the stranger's face slipped slightly, and he asked, "You don't like the prince?"

"It's not that I don't like him" Lucy stammered, "I mean I've never met him so it's not like I can judge. It's just I hear he's a bit of a handful. Very mischievous, always sneaking off and ditching bodyguards".

The smile returned with even greater force, as if the man was proud of something.

"Ah, I see. Yes, I hear he has the palace in an uproar almost every day. But who knows, maybe he doesn't like being cooped up in a palace all day. Maybe he likes to get out and get some fresh air".

Lucy raised an eyebrow. "The palace has massive gardens, from what I hear, I'm sure he could get plenty of fresh air there. What about the bodyguards? They're only trying to do their jobs".

The man frowned, tapping a finger against his chin in thought.

"True, but what if the prince is perfectly capable of protecting himself. What if he just wants to walk among his people normally, and have a normal conversation with a nice beautiful lady?"

"Aren't there beautiful ladies in the palace? I'm sure he gets plenty of noble visitors."

"Beautiful, yes. Nice, certainly not. Nobles are like snakes lying in wait, who only enjoy talking about themselves and meaningless tattle about those 'lesser than them'".

A realizing smirk crossed Lucy's face as she raised an eyebrow. "You certainly know much about the nobles, and the prince. Tell me, stranger, what is your name?"

The man's smirk dropped into a nervous smile and he held up both hands in defence.

"Well…I…"

"I'll forgive you, because I think you called me beautiful Your Highness"

"I did, miss" the not so much of a stranger said, smiling. "How did you guess?"

"Your facial expressions and the words you used when talking about the prince" Lucy replied. "But also, those two"

She pointed behind him, and the man turned to see the two royal guards glaring at him from behind the window.

The man sighed in exasperation, messing up his hair. "When did they get here?"

"About half way through the conversation" Lucy said. "So, it would seem the stories of the mischievous prince are indeed true".

He dropped into a flourished bow. "Why thank you, miss, I pride myself on such an endearing quality". He offered a dazzling smile that stirred up a riot in Lucy's chest. Stepping forward, he clasped one of her hands and gently kissed her knuckles.

"May I ask whose pleasant company I've been enjoying this morning?"

"Lucy, your highness".

"Oh, please miss Lucy" he said waving a hand. "I think you can call me Natsu".


	3. Chapter Two

Chapter Two

Lucy skipped lightly down the bumpy dirt road, humming a joyous tune. Her skipping feet switched to dancing feet, and she spun in flaring circles as she walked. Her feet darted like wild animals, tracing a pattern in the thick dust that coated the ground. So far away was she that Lucy paid no attention to the others who passed on horseback or by carriage, sending her amused looks, some even chuckling into their palms as the sped by. A repertoire of different looks was thrown her way that day, and not one of them did she see.

Her mind was too far away, swimming in the clouds, dancing alongside memories of warm hands and pink hair.

Lucy didn't notice she was dancing in the wrong direction until she was halfway down the road. She stopped then, dragging her mind back to the earth where it needed to be as she did. She observed her surroundings, recognising where she was after a matter of minutes. It was the towering forest to her right that gave it away.

The forest had a notorious reputation. Some spun tales that it was a place of magic and mystery, darkness and light, of creatures un heard of and people oh so strange. Some said that those who entered, never left again.

Lucy had heard every tall tale spun by every storyteller crouched over flickering flames since she was little. Did she believe them? No.

Most of it was believed to be nonsense dreamed up by concerned parents trying to keep their children from harm's way. Everyone knew members of the royal family often used the forest as hunting grounds. Being mistaken for game and getting impaled by an arrow was a much greater worry than mystical beings from the land of who knows where.

Perhaps it was her high spirits from the encounter that still had her heart racing, but for whatever reason, Lucy was suddenly filled with adventurous spirit and decided to look. She had wanted to pick up some nice flowers that evening. Perhaps she could find some beautiful ones to pick and save herself some money.

So, Lucy gathered up her skirts and jumped the little stream that served as a barrier between the road and the forest.

Little did she know, a pair of dark eyes watched over her.

•••

"These are gorgeous" Lucy murmured to herself as she bent to inhale the fragrance of the large pink blossoms. They smelt as good as they looked. Lucy dropped on her knees beside them and examined the stalks carefully for thorns. Finding none, she grasped a long green stem and snapped it sharply. The flower broke away cleanly, and she happily reached for another. Six more had joined the first in her basket, when she decided she'd taken enough. Standing upright, she hastily brushed dark dirt from her skirt, settled her basket in the crook of her arm and set off.

She was lost within minutes.

Lucy's heart began an awful thumping, eyes flitting nervously from each identical tree to the next as her stomach sank to her feet. She had no idea where she was.

Panic started to rise, bubbling through her blood. It was getting dark. Sunlight that filtered through the spread canopy was fading, little by little, but surely. Lucy did not want to be lost in this eerie forest when night fell.

She started to run in blind panic. Figured if she kept running in a straight line, she'd reach the end, eventually. Branches clutched at her legs, grabbing her ankles, pulling her down. Her basket was ripped free, cherry blossoms spilled across the forest floor. Lucy didn't turn back for them, legs shifting in a frightened rhythm, feet thudding harshly against sweet green grass. She felt like if she stopped, she wouldn't start again. As if the reaching shadows would drag her into the dark and leave her there to rot.

She wasn't sure how long she'd been running for. It could have been minutes, hours, seconds. Her lungs ached and her feet sang songs of painful abuse with every step. She saw it then.

At first, it was a splash of grey in an unyielding sea of green. Then, as she drew closer, she grey blur shifted, reformed, crystalized into the unmistakable form of a towering stone castle. Turrets flew deep black flags, the stones themselves seemed to sing with darkness and suffering. The place was shrouded in an aura of the unnatural, the twisted and the demonic.

Lucy entered anyway.

Chills racked her body, crept into her blood and slithered over her skin. The twisted aura cloaked her as it did the castle, growing thicker with every shaking, echoing step she made across the frigid stone entryway. It grew so thick she felt she would choke on it. Every inch of her brain screamed to leave, but some stubborn part was curious. Someone had to be here, somewhere. She'd take a creepy castle that she could stay in for the night over a writhing sea of shadows and branches, filled with creatures of the dark.

She should have chosen the creatures,

"Hello?" she called, voice trembling. Her words echoing back at her was the only reply she received. Lucy took cautious steps up a staircase that swept upwards in curling branches of dark wood. Said wood creaked like an old man's bones with each light step, until she reached the top. No flames flickering in scones marked the way in the dark corridor ahead. Using her hands against the cold stone wall, Lucy felt her way forward, until her hand slipped off the wall and onto cold hard wood.

A door.

Grappling for the handle, Lucy pushed, hard for the door was heavy, and was rewarded when the door swung inwards nosily. She stumbled forward, catching herself before she fell, and took in her surroundings.

She was standing in a library.

This room was surprisingly well lit. Unnatural red flames flickered in scones that lined each wall, casting long shadows on towering bookshelves. The great shelves stretched high to the ceiling far above, stacked with the colourful spines of books, thick and thin.

Lucy's feet pulled her forward, eyes flashing over the many bookshelves in wonder and awe. She reached out a hand, finger trailing down the worn brown leather of one spine, when suddenly-

It was like all the bones in her body froze.

Her fingers stopped, still resting on the spine and to Lucy's horror she found she couldn't budge them an inch. She couldn't move at all, couldn't even blink.

"Aren't you a pretty little thing?"

Feeling rushed back into her limbs and Lucy pitched forward. She banged her nose, hard, against the stiff spine, then she spun quickly to the source of the voice.

A man sat before her. Sitting in an old, rickety, wooden chair she hadn't noticed as if it were a throne, head resting in one hand, he observed her with cold dark eyes. His black hair was tied up messily, still falling in curling strands by his pale face. A long dark coat swept the stone ground at his feet.

Lucy opened her mouth to ask who he was, but he beat her to it. Probably a good thing, since she wasn't sure she was capable of speech yet.

"My name is Mard Geer and this is my castle. Haven't you heard the stories, little girl? You shouldn't mess with a black magician's things". His voice was low and smooth, curling like river water. It wrapped around her and squeezed out her breath as he spoke.

He pushed himself to his feet and in an instant, was inches from her face, frigid eyes peering into hers. Lucy couldn't move. Whether he was preventing her from moving or she was simply frozen stiff in fear, she couldn't tell. Likely the latter.

He cocked his head to one side, considering. "What shall I do with you? Trespassing is a severe crime you know, not to mention theft". His eyes flashed to the books behind her, then back up again.

"It would be such a sin to waste those beautiful looks" he drawled, dragging a finger lazily down her cheek. Lucy gulped.

His eyes brightened and a wicked smile graced his lips.

"I know just what to do with you".

Red mist curled from his fingers, wrapped itself in tendrils around every inch of Lucy's pale skin. It tightened like rope, and then Lucy felt her vision fading. The world around her slipped into darkness.

A laugh brought her back, colour flashing into being once more. She looked up to find the black magician laughing heartily, white teeth flashing. How did he get so tall? Lucy tried to extend an arm and push herself upright. White feathers flashed before her eyes. Lucy froze.

She attempted to speak, but all that left her mouth was a strangled squawk. Dread flooded her body, her blood turning cold as she stumbled forward. Her feet slipped into her vision, bright orange and webbed. Mard Geer laughed, high and cold, as he produced a silver plate from behind his back. Her crouched to set it before her, metal meeting stone with a sharp clang. She craned her neck – surprisingly long, longer than she remembered – and looked.

The reflection staring back at her was not her.

Not human.

It was a swan.

With white feathers and an orange beak, the majestic creature looked as terrified as she felt.

She moved her arm. The swans wing flapped.

Swung her head. The swans head darted from side to side on that long neck.

Lucy wanted to cry.

"At least I left you your beauty" Mard Geer cackled, as if in attempt to cheer her up. "But now you've learned your lesson, little one, so try not to trespass on other people's property in the future".

Lucy tried to scream, tried to ask what he'd done and to take it back. All she could produce where pained squawks.

"There's no going back now" the magician said, as if he'd understood. "You're stuck like this. I'm sure you could try going back to your home, but they're more likely to cook you than listen. And how can you tell them? Swans can talk". His grin was sharp and wicked, like a dagger.

"I'm sure you know the royal family likes to hunt in these parts. You might last a week. Maybe longer". He spun the plate in his hands, then extended it over her head. He released his fingers, and an instant before he did the plate changed into crimson smoke. The smoke swirled around her in a cloud, and when it dispersed, she was back outside the castle, lying on the grass, enveloped in nights darkness.

Swans couldn't shed tears, so Lucy lay on the grass and keened.


	4. Chapter Three

Chapter Three

It could have been hours, minutes or seconds that Lucy lay slumped across the prickly grass before she drifted into an uneasy sleep. Whether other creatures roamed among the trees, some who would make a midnight snack out of a sleeping swan, Lucy didn't know. If there were, they let her be, for she woke still in one piece, with the early morning sun beaming of her snowy feathers.

She managed to heave herself – rather ungracefully for her current situation – to webbed feet. She fluttered her stiff wings absently as she drank in the lush scenery. Birds chirped in the canopy, flitting through the clear air on light wings with full hearts. For a beat Lucy allowed herself to bask in the warm breeze and appreciate the beauty of her surroundings.

The moment didn't last very long.

With a twist of her head, she found the dark castle, perched like a coal among diamonds. The dark ominous presence soaked into its surroundings, polluting the otherwise exquisite atmosphere. It forced the light to appear duller.

Just like that, Lucy remembered her predicament, and the forest didn't seem quite so beautiful. The broad tree trunks began to feel more like prison bars. Lucy's heart pounded in panic, and she flapped her wings, hard, desperately. The air was suffocating her, branches of tree reaching out bong fingers to clutch at her and not let go.

Her orange feet left the ground, and she rose, higher and higher. Once again, she could forget everything, because she was flying. Flying. And it was incredible. But strangely enough, having never attempted it before, Lucy wasn't very knowledgeable in the art of flying, and so her thoughts, along with the rest of her, came crashing back down into the shrubbery.

With a pained groan, she rolled herself over, straightened her tailfeathers, and tried again. And again. And again.

Every time she came crashing down, she got back up and raised her wings once more. Maybe it was because she had nothing better to do. Maybe, it was because she was lost and lonely and terrified, and because she felt that if she could succeed at this, then maybe not all hope was lost for her.

Eventually, she managed a decent, if somewhat shaky, flight. She flew in loops around the forests edge, surprised at how vast it was. She took breaks when she grew tired, practised her landings, and munched on grass when she grew hungry. Perhaps it was her outer swab but grass had never tasted so delightful. With much effort, she even managed to force herself to consume a bug, and after the first one the rest became easier to bear.

As night began to fall in a dark blanket, Lucy searched for somewhere to stay. As the sun set, red rays danced across a body of water, and spotting it from the sky Lucy headed there. She was greeted with a lake, formed in an oddly perfect circle, like a full moon. She gently landed on the surface, the crisp cool liquid feeling brilliant on her tired body. She ducked her head a couple of times as the moon rose higher, casting a pale shadow across the rippling liquid.

And then something strange happened.

One minute, Lucy was alone, gliding peacefully, and the next, she wasn't quite so alone. As she drifted past a gnarled tree stump, she noticed the pair of feet dangling in her vision. Lucy jumped back with a startled squawk, flapping wings sending cascades of water in each direction. She craned her long neck up to get a better look at the intruder.

A woman with long scarlet hair sat calmly on the stump, legs dangling so her toes brushed the water. She was wearing a silver dress, and on closer look Lucy realized it was made from metal, more armour than dress. The white material of a skirt could be seen under gleaming metal plates layered over. Her feet were encased in metallic boots, and her hands and arms in long gauntlets. Her stomach was left bare, but her chest fitted with more armour. Stretched behind her were large metallic wings, feathers of metal layered over each other. Two feathers protruded from behind ears like a crown, and a long gleaming sword rested across her lap.

At Lucy's startled looks she offered a kind smile. The woman pulled her feet under her and stood, perfectly balanced on the small stump. Her hair flowed behind her in scarlet waves, moonlight flashing of her polished armour making her glow with pale light.

"My name is Erza, also known as Titania, and I am queen of the fairies" she introduced, voice booming and filling the air around them. She raised a hand and waved it at the banks of the lake.

"Come with me little one". The wings, which Lucy had assumed were for decoration, fluttered, spread wide to lift her into the air. She glided to the bank of the lake, landing gracefully on firm ground, and turned to Lucy with an expectant look.

Awed, Lucy glided to the edge, swimming out of the water to stand before the queen of the fairies. Erza knelt on the forest floor and looked at her carefully, tapping a finger against her chin in thought.

"I cannot remove it, but I will do what I can" she murmured. The queen lifted her sword and raised it above her head. Lucy balked in terror, naturally, but the queen was too fast and brought her sword down, hard. Just before she shut her eyes, Lucy noticed the sword had begun to glow, white light engulfing the blade.

Eyes shut, Lucy waited for painful death to come claim her, but all she felt was a warm glow. She stayed that way for several long seconds, eyes squeezed tight, before she decided she was certainly not dead. A warm chuckle filled the air, then a voice followed.

"Open your eyes, little one".

Lucy did so, cracking them open one at a time. The first thing she say was a grinning Erza in front of her. The second was that she was no longer a swan.

She gasped in shock and delight, scanning every inch of her body to confirm that she was indeed fully human once more. Her clothes had changed, however, and she was now wearing a dress of white feathers. Swan feathers, she noted. Patting her head, she felt the soft touch of more feathers threaded through her hair.

"I'm me again" she croaked, throat sore. Erza nodded, pushing herself back to her feet and offering Lucy a helping hand. Lucy accepted, allowing the queen to pull her upright as gratified tears beaded in her ears. She started to say "Thank y-", but was interrupted.

"The spell had not been completely broken, I'm afraid" Erza frowned. "I was only able to partially remove it. You retain your swan form by day, and only at night are you human. Also, I'm afraid you will be unable to leave the boundaries of the forest while in human form".

Lucy's burning hope was quickly dosed, and her face fell. She couldn't go back to the village and explain to Juvia, then. Tears of frustration were quick to replace the others, but she smiled sadly and thanked Erza anyways.

"You did your best" Lucy said. "It's something, at least".

"You aren't the only one, if that's any consolation" Erza said, and she waved her hand at the shadowy depths of the trees. One by one, others began to emerge.

They had the appearance of humans, mostly, but the pointed tips of their ears and shimmering wings that fluttered lazily from their backs proved otherwise. The group was large, clustered together, staring curiously at Lucy, but hanging back with caution. Lucy could only make out those at the front, the others hidden behind and cast in shadow.

The first she noted was a small blue haired girl who looked around the same age as herself, dressed in a short dress of feathers in varying shades of blue. A thick book was tucked under a thin arm, and her brown gaze observed Lucy with excited curiosity.

Close behind her two men crouched, using her body as a shield, peeking out to snatch fearful peaks. One was tall and thin, dressed in fox fur, the other much thicker and dressed in a green garment with something round on his back. Lucy squinted, making out what looked to be a turtle shell. Not far from the three stood a grumpily glaring man, arms folded against his chest. Metal piercings studded his face, and a mane of wild black hair flowed down his back. His outfit was of black fur, gloves that gave his hands the appearance of claws and … were those cat ears?

Beside him were three white haired fairies, likely siblings, two girls and a man. The man was large and towering, covered with matted maroon hair with a green chest, and curling golden horns rested on his head, giving him a beastly appearance. The one in the middle smiled cheerfully, but wore a dress of pink scales, gauntlets with fierce green claws, and her wings were black and bat-like. The demonic appearance contrasted with her kind face.

The third looked to be the youngest, wore a short dress of striped white and black fur. Like the pierced man she wore clawed grey gloves and white cat ears perked from her head.

The others she couldn't see clearly enough.

"These are the fairies who dwell here" Erza explained. "They have also fallen victim to Mard Geer's cruelty, and like you are cursed to wander as animals by day. I am not similarly afflicted, and am trying my best to uncover a cure". She shook her head sorrowfully. "I have not been blessed with much luck thus far".

She introduced the fairies – Levy, Jet and Troy, Gajeel, and the Strauss siblings, Elfman, Mirajane, and Lisanna.

The others, dressed in animal clothing, came forward and were also introduced. Lucy soon lost track of the many names.

The first girl – Levy – jubilantly grasped Lucy hand. She introduced herself and chattered, words flowing so quickly Lucy could barely keep up. "You can come with us if you like!" she exclaimed. "Take a tour of the forest?".

Lucy smiled at the girl's excitement, but her heart hung heavy and hope flickered like a dying fire. She swung her head sadly declining the offer. Levy's smile dropped slightly at the edges, and Lucy gently removed her hands. The swan girl turned and walked to the edge of the lake. She settled upon a fallen tree trunk and brought up her feet, curling her arms forlornly around her knees, feeling as if that was the only thing holding her pieces together. She was in no mood for merrymaking, barely being able to contain her tears.

Once it was clear she wasn't going anywhere, most of the fairies scampered off and soon vanished among the great trunks. Erza, Levy and Mirajane did not retreat, however. Without a word, the settled themselves beside her, and after a minute's silence began to tell tales of the fairies' adventures. The tales were directed more at the open expanse of night air than Lucy herself, but she listened, grateful for the company. The adventurous stories helped keep her mind away from melancholy subjects, lifted her heart from its sullen pit and made that first long night vanish like smoke in the wind.

•••

The when the morning sun rose, casting warm yellow fingers that turned green leaves to gold, Lucy's body and all the other fairies twisted back into their animalistic form. Although she felt slighter better from the company she shared the previous night, Lucy's heart still thudded out a hopeless beat.

She resumed her lazy gliding across the lake, watching her changed reflection and sinking deeper into the miserable hole she'd dug for herself in her mind. Levy, now in the form of a small blue bird, was as determined as ever to lift Lucy's spirits. As Lucy swam she flew in rings around her, ducking, diving, playfully splashing water and trilling a merry tune. Alas, her efforts were for nought as Lucy barely looked up to acknowledge the little bird.

Levy was joined by one of her companions, the turtle Lucy recalled whose name was Droy. As Levy flew he swam slowly in the water below her, starting at any sudden movements. Her other companion, Jet, now in the form of a fox, lay sullenly on the banks, unable to join the other two. Beside him sat a grumpy black cat with patches of grey fur dotted across his face. Lucy realised he must be the metal piercings man, Gajeel.

Mirajane, who took the form of a strange bat, with a bright pink body and deep black wings, crouched somewhere in the shadows, out of the harsh light. Her siblings, Elfman who was now a boar and Lisanna a small striped cat, lay just outside the edge of the forest, basking in the warm sunlight. As for the others, Lucy occasionally caught a brief glimpse of a strange animal as it went about its business, but none staying very long.

The day continued in this fashion without much deviation, until just after noon. Strange voices reached the ears of the magical animals. They all froze in their places, except Lucy who hadn't been listening. She did stop when she noted the strange behaviour, and then the muffled voices reached her feathered ears as well. The animals dove for cover among the branches. Levy hovered a little longer while she waited for Droy to reach the banks, then both vanished in the shrubbery.

Lucy, however, was curious. Perhaps it was the grey outlook on life at that time that had removed all sense of fear and self-preservation, but instead of hiding, Lucy pumped her wings and rose into the air. Listening carefully, she located the direction of the voices and flew quickly. As she swooped away, Lucy noticed shrill, desperate twittering that could only be a warning from Levy. She didn't stop, however, but flew onwards.

As she drew neared she began to discern words from the mutterings-

"…ridiculous. She probably is just visiting a relative or something and forgot to mention it to anyone. She could be a forgetful type" one voice was saying over the thud of horse hooves. The voice was decidedly male.

A heavy sigh. "Yes, well…she didn't seem forgetful" another voice muttered. Male, and oddly familiar to Lucy's ears.

"Well there's no point moping about it any longer" the first voice said sternly. "She'll turn up eventually".

"Yes, but people don't just vanish!" the second man exclaimed, frustrated. "What if something happened!".

As Lucy flew closer overhead, both men came into view. The first was riding a grey horse, with raven hair and a red and gold royal guards uniform. With a start Lucy realised it was the guard that Juvia had took such a liking for. What was his name? Gray, that was it. And the second man…

Was Natsu.

He was riding a light brown horse, wearing a worn brown coat over a white shirt. He looked upset at something, and had one had buried in his pink hair as he glowered at his companion. A giddy trill enslaved Lucy's heart as she saw him. She stopped still in shock and surprise, hovering in the air.

What on earth was the prince doing out here? All further talk was lost to her as her mind wandered in confusion. A minute later, Lucy turned her attention back to the two men below her, and found both had stopped moving. And talking. In fact, both sets of eyes were fixed on her white figure. As she hovered in suspense, Gray slowly reached behind him, and removed a bow. Nocking an arrow, he raised it high.

Directly at her.


	5. Chapter Four

Chapter Four

Lucy's heart froze.

If her shock hadn't stopped her wings from beating, she would have died. She dropped through the air with little to spare, the sleek wooden arrow piercing the space she hovered within just an instant before. The arrow met the ground with a thump a second later, burying the head several inches in the soft earth.

Lucy's head swivelled back to the two men. Natsu had a long bow grasped loosely in one hand, but hadn't drawn any arrows from the quiver slung by his side. He was gazing at her, an odd mixture of confusion and uncertainty swimming in his eyes. Gray was not so taken. His hand already held three more arrows, and he was drawing back another as she watched.

Lucy opted that despite her curiosity, hanging around would not be the wisest of plans. She regained the altitude she had lost and spurred herself higher. An arrow whizzed past, grazing her right wing. She squawked in shock, wings faltering. Fortunately, the arrow didn't appear to have done any damage. Lucy began to fly faster, erratically, swerving side to side in hope it would make her a harder target.

She picked up hoofbeats. The men were giving chase, unwilling to give up. Another arrow darted past, this one several inches from her left side. Her panic gifted Lucy a speed she hadn't known she possessed. Somehow, she managed to maintain a lead on the speeding horses. She used the canopy for cover, flying through branches, and disappearing behind clumps of fluttering leaves when she could in a hope to throw them off. Her bright white feathers were not made for camouflage; she stood out among the leafy greens like a diamond among coals.

After what felt like an eternity of endless treetops, the arrows began to stray farther and farther from her sides. Hope gave Lucy's aching wings an extra spur, and she rushed headlong into the tall branches of a tree ahead. She hovered within the leaves for a few minutes, listening for signs of her pursuers. Her muscles burned and her heart pounded so loudly in her ears that she couldn't listen for hoofbeats.

After some time with no sign of arrows, Lucy cautiously poked her neck out of the tree. She swung her head left and right, and with no sign of anyone, pumped her wings and brought herself out into the open. Giddy with relief, she raised her white feathers and prepared to soar to the sky.

Suddenly, something heavy smashed through her left wing. She squawked in agony as fiery pain enveloped her wing. With hazy vision, she twisted to see the damage.

An arrow had punched clean through her left wings, tearing open a ragged hole that spat hot scarlet blood across her white feathers.

Lucy dropped from the sky like a stone. As she fell, her eyes picked up a figure in the shrubbery below.

Natsu.

His horse stood picketing beside him, tied to a tree. His bow was raised high, no doubt to who had hit her. She wondered, as she plummeted, how she hadn't seen him.

•••

The darkness was chased away by a searing pain. As Lucy shook off the black and the world returned to colour, she wondered how it was that she was still alive. Her second was of Natsu.

She was lying sprawled in the undergrowth as one mangled wing painted the brown earth red. She didn't want to attempt to move so much as an inch for fear of worsening her injury. But then, she thought as the ground trembled with approaching footsteps, she'd soon be dead anyways.

If she was capable of laughter in this form, she would have laughed. There was something enormously funny in the fact that it would be Natsu, the one man she'd ever had feelings for, who would be the one who killed her.

The footsteps stopped beside her.

From her position, she could only see the tops of his worn black leather boots. Lucy twisted her head up, no longer worried about her injury. Natsu was standing above her, looking down. His bow was slung over his back, and a hunting knife rested in his palm. He knelt to the ground beside her. Lucy looked up as he did, and their eyes met.

Natsu froze.

They both did, frozen in time, staring at each other.

Lucy was sure her eyes reflected the panic she was feeling.

Natsu's emotionless expression slowly shifted as he watched her. His grip on the knife grew slack, and that mix of emotion returned to his eyes. Then a spark of something akin to recognition.

His free hand reached out. Lucy balked in fear, and he drew back slightly, then approached even more slowly. Lucy's heart beat furiously as his rough fingers gently met the soft feathers on her head. He gently drew small, comforting circles. Lucy's fear ebbed, slowly, and the throbbing pain seemed to recede as well at his touch. She carefully nuzzled his fingers, and a gentle smile curled his lips.

The moment was interrupted by a loud shout. "NATSU?"

Natsu withdrew his fingers sharply, his head swivelling in the direction of the yell. Lucy's panic returned, and she wriggled in blinding fear. Natsu was quick to clamp her down with both hands, stopping all movement.

"You'll make it worse" he murmured, even though he couldn't know that she understood him.

"Natsu?" the voice, which Lucy recognised as Gray, came again. "Did you get it?"

Natsu still didn't reply. He stared at Lucy for several long moments, eyes conveying his concern and indecision. His hand groped for the knife, and he grasped it with long fingers.

Lucy squirmed viciously.

"Shush" Natsu said softly, returning the knife to the scabbard at his belt. He slowly removed the other hand, freeing Lucy. She remained motionless, watching him in bafflement.

"I can't kill something so beautiful" Natsu said to her, or to himself. He stood up, and cupping his hands around his mouth he yelled. "Sorry Gray I missed!"

A muffled cursing followed, and Gray called back. "Well come on then, let's look for something else".

Natsu gave Lucy one long look, then he turned to go. As he did, Lucy saw through her hazy vision a flash of silver at his pocket. Her ears picked up a muffled thud an instant later. Natsu didn't notice, however, and sped away through the trees, leaving Lucy lying with a beating heart and a broken wing.

•••

"Tell me again" Erza demanded.

Lucy sighed, resting a cheek in her palm. Her arm sang with sharp pain, and she quickly lifted her head again. A strip of white cloth was tied firmly around the injury in her arm, which was no longer bleeding but still hurt when she moved it.

Erza had found Lucy not long after the two men had left. It seemed Levy had informed her as to what happened, and she had to wait until both men had left before approaching, lest she be seen.

Erza had used magic to heal the injury as best she could. She stopped the bleeding and mostly sealed the hole, but it still hurt, though thankfully not as much as before. Being unable to speak while a swan, Erza had insisted she remain with her until night fell. As Lucy transformed into a human, her injury tore a little, and began to bleed. It wasn't serious enough for magic, so Levy helped bandage it while Lucy explained to both her and Erza what had happened.

After the first recount, a serious faced Erza asked her to describe everything again. Lucy complied, and now Erza wanted another telling. Hence, Lucy's exasperation.

Lucy drily laid out the events once more in a flat tone. When she finished Erza was silent, for once, an intense expression stretched across her features. Lucy tapped her fingers impatiently on her knee as she waited for a verdict.

"Why didn't her kill you?"

Lucy snorted with amusement. Of all the things Erza could have thought to ask, that was her first question?

"I don't know" Lucy shrugged. "I'm just glad he didn't".

Erza wasn't satisfied, her brow furrowed in thought. "Natsu is a kind-hearted man, but he'll certainly kill game on a hunt. He always has before. It doesn't make sense".

Lucy started in shock at her familiarity. "You know him?"

Erza nodded an affirmative. "The royal Dragneel family had always been friends with the fairies. They are descendants of the dragon race, and share their blood with the ancient beasts. That is why they can enter this forest without fear of Mard Geer. The Demon Lord will not attack them; they are too powerful to risk angering.

"Natsu has spent much time among these trees. He discovered us when he was young, and made it a point to personally befriend every fairy under these leaves. He comes to visit, occasionally".

Lucy couldn't help the smile that jumped to her lips. That sounded like him. Erza didn't miss said smile, and one of her own crept slyly onto her face as realization struck.

"How do you know him?" she asked.

"Oh, he came into the shop I work in" Lucy explained, giddiness rising just at the memory of the fateful encounter.

Erza waggled her eyebrows suggestively, and Lucy flushed bright red in embarrassment. "I-Uh-I" she stuttered in attempt to procure an explanation. Erza's grin widened at her inability to form a sentence. Lucy shot to her feet and yelled "I'm going for a walk!" before racing out of the clearing like she'd been set on fire, leaving a chortling Erza in her wake.

Although her intention was to wander aimlessly, a minute later Lucy found herself standing in the clearing where she'd landed. Crimson droplets had dried across blades of crumpled grass, the ground gouged and scuffed from her struggles. Lucy fiddled with a strand of blond hair as her mind drifted in and out of memory. A gleam of silver suddenly caught her eye. The moon shone bright overhead, a beam of moonlight reflecting off something in the grass.

Lucy stepped closer and crouched, forced to squint against the point of light in the surrounding darkness. A hand extended she groped for the object, and her fingers brushed cold metal. She grasped the object, surprisingly heavy for its size, and pulled it out to get a better view. The object was round and about the size of her palm, polished silver glowing in the moon's caress. The top was engraved with a dragon sprouting fire, an intelligent eye winking at her knowingly. Lucy pressed the little catch and it sprang open, revealing a beautiful clock face set with mother of pearl and sparkling silver hands.

Lucy spent several minutes examining it from every angle, marvelling at the craftmanship, before she realized there was only one person it could belong to.

Natsu.

Her heart thumped harder.

Lucy chewed her lip as she tried to think of a way to return it to him. Coming up blank, she clutched the watch carefully in her hands and set off back for the lake. Erza would likely know what to do with it. She might be able to get it back to him, although it saddened Lucy that she couldn't return it herself.

Her worrying was for nought.

As Lucy approached from the trees, she saw Erza, a gleaming silver figure in the dark, standing with another person in conversation. Once she was close enough to recognise the second person, Lucy's feet forgot how to move.

Natsu.

His bright pink – ehem salmon – hair was shot through with silver under the moon, and his dark eyes seemed to glow as they shot up to reach hers. His eyes widened, mouth falling open in surprise and words vanishing from his lips. Erza frowned as he suddenly stopped talking, then followed his gaze to Lucy.

"There you are!" she exclaimed. "I was wondering – ". The sentence was cut off as Natsu rushed past her to reach Lucy faster than it took Lucy to draw in a breath. Then his arms were around her, and she melted into them, and he was talking fast, too fast, saying something about looking everywhere and worried and safe.

Erza smartly took her leave with a smirk, leaving the two off them alone.

Natsu stopped his stream of jumbled words and they just stood there for several instants, comfortable and warm, with glowing hearts and faint wonderings as to how two people who met so briefly could be so consumed by each other, mind and heart and soul.

It was love at first sight, I guess.

When Natsu finally and reluctantly pulled back, they spent another several instants staring at each other, before Lucy extended the watch.

"I think this is yours" she said.

Natsu grinned and accepted it, his hand lingering on hers a little longer than it needed to. He tucked it back into his pocket and said, "Thanks! I came here tonight looking for it. I must have dropped it when I - ". He stopped talking abruptly, eyes darting up to look at her, her eyes, then her dress of swan feathers and the bleeding arm. His face seemed to lose some of its colour.

"Almost killed you" he finished quietly, the words dropping painfully from his mouth. Grasping her hands, he dropped to both knees and apologised profusely, 'I'm sorry's' and 'forgive me's' getting lost together in a muddled mess. With a gentle smile Lucy settled on her knees before him and took his face in her hands. His words trailed off and he looked at her with a mixture of panic and regret.

"You didn't know" Lucy said gently with a forgiving smile. Her warmth managed to coerce a wavering smile out of Natsu, so she wrapped her arms around his neck and rested her forehead against his.

"Why did you stop?" She asked curiously, the words little more than a breath.

"I recognised your eyes" he replied, words a whisper on the wind. "I wasn't sure, of course, but I didn't want to risk it. And…I couldn't bring myself to kill something so beautiful".

Natsu shifted to lay a soft kiss on her temple, and added "I think I prefer this form though".

Lucy hummed happily in response, but the sound soon died on her lips as a familiar sadness invaded her thoughts. Natsu seemed to notice the change, for he withdrew and looked her in the eyes as he asked, "What happened to you?"

With a heavy heart Lucy explained what had happened in the Demon Lord's castle, and how Erza had changed the spell. She explained how she couldn't leave in this form, or she would have gone back to tell Juvia she was fine.

Natsu's expression darkened with anger as she talked about Mard Geer, but he said nothing when she had finished, only held her close and wiped the beginnings of tears from her eyes.

After a minute, Natsu suddenly shifted, darting his arms underneath her and, before she could protest, swung her into his arms. She screeched in shock, clinging desperately to his neck as he started running, holding her easily and as if she was as light as a feather.

"Where are we going?" she asked curiously.

"Anywhere".

•••

The pair spent the entire night together. They walked and talked, sat by the lake and talked some more, trailed bare feet through the water, splashed and shrieked like children. They rested on each other's shoulders as they talked about everything and nothing, lay on their backs as Lucy animatedly talked about the stars, cuddled closer and closer, simply lay in the silence of the night, listening to heartbeats, because no more words were needed.

The fairies watched from the shadows, sparkling with happiness, as the already bright bond grew in strength, falling deeper and deeper into that funny little emotion they call love.

As dawn approached, and the time came to say goodbye, two hearts were overflowing with emotion.

"Oh!" Natsu exclaimed, remembering something. Lucy lifted her head from his chest so he could dig through the inner pockets of his coat. With a cry of success, he removed a creamy envelope, and extended it.

"What's this?" Lucy asked as she turned it over, revealing the royal seal.

"An invitation" Natsu explained. "To the party at the palace this evening. I was looking for you to give you it, that was how I realised you were missing". He sighed heavily. "You'd still be a swan when it starts and when you're human…" He trailed off. "I guess it's not much use now".

Lucy shook her head, determination gleaming in her eyes as an idea began to form. A hopeless heart once filled with despair now shone bright with love and renewed determination. Hope had filled her being, and she was resolved to find a way to break this spell, once and for all.

"No" she said, "I'm going to be there".

Natsu frowned, confused. He started to ask how but Lucy interrupted. "There's no use sitting here watching leaves fall. I'm going to find a way to break this spell, and I'm going to that party".

Her eyes shone bright, and Natsu's frown soon gave way to a grin. He stood, brushing leaves from his clothes. "I'll take your word on that". He crouched done before her and grasped her hand tightly, eyes serious. He rested his forehead on hers and said, "Stay safe", moving to plant a gentle kiss among her hair.

Then he was off, with a wave and a grin, soon disappearing through the trees.

Lucy didn't have any time to bask in her giddy heart, for three people jumped her the instant Natsu was gone.

Erza, Levy and Mira, all talking together and over each other, teasing and inquiring and fawning and clapping gleefully. Lucy jumped to her feet as light spread through the sky, and the mix of voices stopped as three pairs of eyes turned to her. "Ladies" she said, planting her hands on her hips. "We're breaking into that library and finding a way to end this spell. Today".

Erza was the only one to vocally start questioning, for in that instant Lucy, Levy and Mira morphed back into their animal forms. Lucy braced herself for the barrage of squawking and chirping, looking to the sun with a steely resolve to regain what she had lost.


	6. Chapter Five

Chapter Five

"We're never going to find anything!" Erza groaned in frustration. A series of chirps and squawks sounded in agreement, and even Lucy couldn't help but allow her head to droop in surrender. Hours, and they'd gotten nowhere.

After a spell confirmed Mard Geer's absence from the castle, they began – what they liked to call - Operation Swan. At first only Erza, Lucy, Levy and Mira were going to attempt the impossible, but as soon as they were ready to leave, other fairies began to join the party, intent on helping Lucy in her endeavour. Lucy was heartened by their spirit, convinced that so many of them would help them scour the library in no time at all.

She was wrong.

The library was larger than she could have believed, and layered with enchantments that Erza had to take her time dismantling. As such, the time for the party was drawing nearer and nearer, but they'd barely covered a fraction of the massive collection. Spirits had weakened, but were still intact, every fairy refusing to give up and admit defeat. They doubled their pace, devouring book after book on every kind of magic imaginable.

The party's start time came and went without discovery. Mard Geer's imminent return loomed on each mind. Anxiety increased, and nerves stuttered. Spirits dwindled lower, and lower, a flickering ember to a once roaring flame.

But when all hope seems lost…

A shrill chirp of excitement rang like a trumpet. All heads turned, wings fluttered, feet pattered across wood. A little blue bird jumped up and down on a weathered page of a thick tome, chittering in glee. A fire rekindled.

Erza weaved her way through the mass of animals, stooping to gather up the heavy book. Levy fluttered to her shoulder, blue feathered chest puffed in pride. Erza's eyes skipped across dark ink, drinking in the information. As she read a smile bloomed on her face, and she raised a fist in triumph. "We have a cure!" she shouted to the heavens, a victory call taken up and passed along, wings beating in joy, stomps of glee, crows of excitement.

Among them a stock-still Lucy, hardly daring to breathe.

"We have a way to break the curse" Erza exclaimed, eyes shining, levelling her gaze on Lucy.

"True loves kiss".

Lucy wasn't sure whether to laugh or cry. It sounded to absurd to be true. Erza turned the book around and crouched. Lucy hopped forward and read, quickly, and sure enough there it was. That's what it said.

If she could cry, she would've.

"Now all we need to do is get Natsu to kiss you!" she yelled. Lucy flushed red and shuffled her wings. "It must have to be on the mouth or that kiss on the head would have broken it" Erza mused. Lucy decided not to question how she knew that.

"You'll have to fly to the palace and fetch him Lucy" Erza decided. "Bring him back here and when you turn human, lay one on him" she announced with a thumbs-up.

Lucy turned scarlet.

Erza snapped the book shut with a thud. "We can't leave the forest, so it has to be you. Go! Now! Fly like the wind!"

Lucy started to raise her wings as cheers went up around her, when she froze.

Her body was frozen.

All sound died instantly.

A chill pervaded the room.

Lucy didn't have to turn to know who was standing in the doorway.

A voice like silk curling in their ears.

"Well, well, what do we have here?" Footsteps echoed, but Lucy couldn't turn her head towards them. "A rebellion? Mutiny? What possibly could have brought this on? You've been obedient for years little fairies, why the sudden change of heart?"

Red smoke curling like a snake around every animal.

Ice cold fingers ruffled Lucy's feathers.

"You started this, little one? What gave you such resolve, I wonder?"

His voice slithered in her ears.

"It wouldn't have anything to do with that draconic little prince, now would it?"

Lucy's blood ran cold.

"Thinking you can escape my judgement?" he tutted. "You should have known better than to let her get her hopes up, Titania".

Erza's eyes drove furious daggers, but her mouth remained closed.

"You know what I think? I think I should show you what happens when you try to defy me".

He snapped his fingers, and the book vanished from Erza's hands and reappeared in his.

"Yes, know you know how to break my little curse. But you should know, it also works the other way".

He set the book with a thud inches from Lucy's face and tapped a line with a long black nail.

Lucy read it. Fear flooded her veins.

"Yes, my little swan, you can break my curse with a kiss. But, if your true love kisses another, you will die. Painfully".

He punctuated the sentence by shutting the book with a snap.

"Shall we see if it works?" he pondered gleefully.

Lucy found that she could move once more. She spun to face the demonic man, in his long dark coat. She noticed another person was with him. A girl with long dark hair and nervous green eyes, wearing a ragged brown dress. A red collar glowed at her neck. A slave.

A manic grin stretched the Demon Lord's lips as scarlet smoke poured from his fingers. The smoke twisted around the girl, enveloping her, terrified eyes the last thing Lucy saw.

The smoke cleared.

Lucy choked in horror.

She was looking at a perfect replica of herself. In a pink dress, with brown eyes and blonde hair, this Lucy looked down at the little swan with a blank gaze.

"Rather impressive, isn't she?" Mard Geer chortled. He flicked his fingers and the fake Lucy smiled, and waved and said in Lucy's voice, "Natsu!"

Lucy felt like throwing up.

"All I need to do is get our little princeling to kiss this lovely lady, and we'll see how painfully you die". He grinned with morbid glee.

"The fairies can't leave this forest, but you however are not bound by that rule. So, I'll have to make sure you can't leave and warn our little prince, that would be no fun".

He twisted his wrist, and the red smoke cloaked Lucy's limbs. She struggled, but found herself unable to move.

"I'm sure you'll feel it when the spell starts to suck away your life force, but try not to die until I get back".

Those words were the last Lucy heard, as with a wave of his fingers everything went black.

•••

For several terrifying moments, Lucy thought she'd gone blind. She was unsure of how much time had passed when she finally returned to consciousness. Her eyelids had snapped open, groggily, but everything remained in darkness. Lucy blinked, slowly at first thinking her vision was just slow to return, then rapidly, desperately, as the consuming blackness refused to shift. She panicked.

Excruciating seconds passed as she writhed like a mad beast, found herself restrained but was in no mind to question how. For those agonising moments, she was consumed by a pitch-black fear that drowned out everything else, until nothing existed but her small form and the bottomless void that was steadily swallowing her whole being.

Then she noticed the light.

It was dim, so dim she'd missed it entirely. But it was something apart from the dark, so she forced her beating heart to calm, and steadied her mind. Focusing on the thin outline she quickly realised it was a door, the light trickling through the cracks from what lay on the other side. With the assurance that she had not been robbed of her vision, Lucy gathered her thoughts and began to sort through what had happened.

The library.

The book.

The demon.

The fake Lucy.

Mard Geer must have imprisoned her then. She tried moving, and found she could walk several inches forward before her restraints halted her. Now with a clear head, she discovered she was chained to a wall by her right foot. The manacle was icy cold and cumbersomely heavy around her ankle, and she wondered how she hadn't noticed it. It was loose enough to chafe, as needles of pain began to assault her skin. She must have injured herself without noticing during her mindless frenzy.

She also noted she was still in her swan form, so the passage of time must have been relatively short. The shape of her feet, and her lack of control over them compared to her human form, meant that her efforts to pull her foot out of the shackle were thwarted. For all she knew it could be enchanted, anyways.

The wall she was chained to was wet and frigid. When she hopped back to inspect it a gruesome slime coated her feathers as she examined the surface as best she could. Disgusted, she shied away for the wall and resolved not to touch it again. Looking around she could see not light in the dark, the door aside. Only one exit then.

With that, Lucy tried to devise a way to free herself. She came up blank. Minutes passed with no movement than that of her thoughts. She thought of Natsu and her heart squeezed. Wondered if he was dancing and laughing with that imposter. Her heart burned.

If he'd kissed her yet.

Surely, she would know? Mard Geer had said she would feel her death approaching.

She didn't feel any different. Perhaps there was still hope.

But hope was all she had. She was resigned to pacing in the dark, praying that the fairies were alright and that they may find their way out of this mess. Somehow.

As she finished that thought, there came footsteps by her door, loud and clanking. A flash of silver in the light.

The door came crashing down.

•••

"WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO NOW?" raged the Queen of the Fairies. Levy spun anxiously through the air before her, offering nothing but desperate chirps. Erza spun on her heel and stomped in the opposite direction, slashing her sword through the air to decapitate an invisible foe. Levy sighed heavily.

Only ten minutes had passed since Lucy's capture. After she'd been spirited away to who knows where, Mard Geer had proceeded to place a spell that restricted Erza's magic powers. With manic laughter, he and his fake Lucy vanished in a plume of red smoke, and all the fairies found themselves standing outside the castle's doors.

Certain that Lucy was inside they'd tried to re-enter, and found a spell preventing them from doing so. Without Erza's magic they had no hope of breaking it. Those fairies with wings attempted to fly in open windows, but found the restriction applied to those to. With no way of getting to Lucy, and restrained to the forest thanks to the curse so unable to get to Natsu, they were similarly resigned to pace and rage.

The mighty Titania had been screaming with frustration at the sky for about five minutes but to no avail.

It was hopeless.

And yet…

Erza let her legs give out and she dropped in a messy heap on the grass. Thrusting her sword furiously at the ground, she buried it in the soft earth up to its guard. Erza laid a palm on her forehead and huffed in raging misery. Levy landed softly on her armoured shoulder and nuzzled her cheek in sympathy. Tears threatened to spill down porcelain cheeks as despair weighed heavily on her heart.

"Giving up already, Scarlet?".

Erza's head shot up. She hadn't noticed the pair of brown boots that stood in front of her in her misery, nor the man that wore them. Looking up she met a pair of dark eyes, one punctuated with a dark red, twisted tattoo. Blue hair hung messily across the forehead of a man wearing a smirk.

"You look like you could use some help".

"Jellal?"

•••

The door hit the cobbled stone floor with a terrific bang. A blinding yellow flash was etched across Lucy retina's, and as she blinked away the vestiges, the light faded in the doorway, revealing a gleeful Erza with an impassive blue haired man Lucy didn't recognise. The man was the one who had broken down the door, apart from the yellow light sprouting from his outstretched right hand.

He lowered his hand as Erza yelled "Lucy!" and sprinted across the room. Lucy squawked an exuberant greeting as Erza raised her sword – covered in mud for some reason – and sliced through her chains. The dark metal fell from her ankle and clacked across the floor as Lucy stretched her limbs. Red droplets scattered the floor from her injured ankle, but she didn't notice the sharp pain, her mind focused solely on one thing.

Natsu.

"Go!" said Erza, waving her sword at the door. "Quickly, before it's too late! We can talk later!"

Lucy nodded in thanks, heart pounding as she spread her wings and propelled herself into the air.

•••

By the time she reached the palace, Lucy's wings were aching. She'd flown farther and faster than she ever had, pushing her body to the absolute limit. The sun was dropping further in the sky, a reminder of how little time she had left.

She flew harder.

Music, laughter and clinking glasses reached her ears through the palaces open windows. It was even more spectacular up close, but Lucy had no time to waste admiring the majestic building. She half-landed, half-crashed by a low window in a crumpled heap, scrambling to aching legs as soon as she met the ground. The impact sent daggers through already pained limbs, but her beating heart drowned out everything else.

Lucy scanned the ballroom, searching desperately. Where was he?

Her heart took a nose dive.

Natsu was there, in the centre of the dancing, looking dashing in a red and gold coat with an elegant golden crown resting among pink locks.

The fake Lucy in a beautiful pink dress looked splendid dancing with him too.

She was laughing at something, a high, painful, tinkling laugh. Natsu was smiling, but something felt off. His eyes were troubled, his mouth falling at the edges.

Where was Mard Geer?

Lucy looked, but couldn't see him, then cursed herself. He'd be disguised, of course. She looked at the setting sun, spreading orange and pink across the clear sky. She had minutes left.

Her gaze snapped back to Natsu and the fake Lucy. Her heart was caught in a painful iron-grip as she watched the fake Lucy lean in, eye lids falling, lips puckered.

Her life flashed before her eyes.

Would this, really be it?

Her life would be ended by the man who would have saved it?

But Natsu was leaning back, away, and his eyes flickered up for an instant.

An instant was all it took.

He saw her, crouched at the window, and fury snapped across his face like lightning.

He pushed the fake Lucy away, she stumbled and collapsed with a squeal. Guests scattered, looking upon the scene with confusion and horror, as Natsu's hand gripped the sword at his side and his gaze darted like lighting among the gathered guests. Gray was at his side in moments, and Lucy was overjoyed to see Juvia in a beautiful blue dress at his side.

"WHERE ARE YOU?" Natsu snarled, enraged.

A laugh, soft and sweet and deadly.

"It could have been so beautiful", came a voice like silk, from everywhere and nowhere at once.

"But you ruined it".

The fake Lucy's image faded, revealing the terrified dark-haired girl strewn across the polished tiles.

"Enough of this!" Natsu roared. "Face me, Demon Lord! This family had been running in circles with you for years, but no more! This ends today! I'll make you suffer for what you did to Lucy!"

"Is that so?" the voice curled through the open space, laughter tinkling like bells.

"Such love, it burns so brightly between you two. It makes my eyes ache".

Red smoke trickled through the windows, twisting into demonic shapes.

"You are right, of course. It's time to end this. But not before I make you suffer too".

A grip like iron wrapped around Lucy's ankle. She squawked as loud as she could, beat her wings furiously, twisted like a wraith.

Mard Geer's fingers burned against her skin as he lifted her high and dangled her in the air, like a prize.

Eyes locked on her figure, one pair burning hotter than hell. Through her upside-down vision, she saw Natsu's face contort with fiery rage, and flames – actual flames - wicked off his arms and legs, writhing like snakes.

"You want her, little prince?" Mard Geer sneered, swinging her through the air. "You know where to find her. Let's hope you're in time".

He snapped his fingers sharply, and the last thing Lucy saw was Natsu stricken face before the smoke enveloped her.

•••

Lucy was a tad worse for wear when Natsu arrived.

She'd transformed back into a human as soon as Mard Geer's magic landed then in the forest. The demon Lord locked her in more heavy metal shackles, despite her resistance, this time a pain around her ankles and her wrists. Lucy refused to give up without a fight, so he reluctantly dragged her kicking and screaming back to the castle. There he'd chained her to the gates, muttering angrily, then folded his legs beneath him and waited.

Lucy, covered in dirt and grass with a torn dress and dishevelled hair, had yelled abuse at his until he grew annoyed enough to summon a rag and tie it tightly around her mouth. She continued to scream, although now it was muffled, and her throat soon grew hoarse so she desisted.

Lucy didn't know where the fairies were, but none appeared, and she prayed they were safe.

Natsu arrived quickly, considering, on horse-back and alone. His eyes flickered to Lucy quickly, his stormy expression growing thunderous. Lucy attempted a smile through her gag, and he softened slightly, smiling lightly in return.

His smile soon dropped as Mard Geer pushed himself to his feet, and he drew his shining blade, knuckles white on the hilt.

"Before we begin, let's make this a little more interesting" Mard Geer crooned. "You're going to have to finish this quickly, if you want to save her life".

His fingers snapped.

Red smoke curled around Lucy's abdomen.

Pain, blinding and stabbing, in her stomach.

Lucy screamed.

"LUCY!" Natsu roared, as bright crimson blood began to soak her abdomen.

"She'll bleed out soon" the Demon Lord laughed at Natsu's rage, and smoke curled around his hands.

"So even if you win, unless you do it quickly, you'll lose her anyway".

The rest of it, Lucy had a hard time following.

Natsu's sword engulfed in flames, and crackled with bright lighting as he launched himself at his foe with a battle roar. They crashed together with flames and smoke and noise, came apart and met again and again and again.

They moved in a blur, stabbing and kicking, the air vibrating with tension, movements too fast for Lucy to follow. Flames burned bright and lighting cackled, smoke engulfed and weaved.

The green scattered with red.

Blood dripped hot down Lucy's skin.

The forest was devastated with the enormous force of the attacks. Trees flattened, ground gouged and pummelled. Lucy couldn't tell who was winning and who was losing. In minutes, both were broken and bleeding, but neither showed any signs of stopping.

But Lucy was running out of time.

Her vision was dimming, the pain in her body increasing.

Natsu seemed to realize this too, and he relented for a moment, breathing hard, clothes torn and bloodied.

Mard Geer was in worse shape, legs shaking, threatening to collapse. His blood dripped dark as night across the ground, sizzling where it met the earth.

Natsu was winning.

But he wasn't winning fast enough.

Mard Geer started to laugh, cackling laughter, that shook the trees and chilled the air.

Natsu would win.

But he would lose.

Hopelessness flashed across Natsu's face as Lucy's breathing began to falter.

Her vision began to fade.

And then there was light, bright and brilliant, shining yellow and silver as a sword impaled itself in Mard Geer's back.

Black blood spilled from his mouth as he choked.

Lucy's eyes shifted slowly.

Erza was there, armour shining, another sword raised aloft as fury burned in her eyes.

Jellal was beside her, body engulfed in sparkling yellow light.

And the other fairies too, whole and free, with shining wings and glowing hands as with screams of fury they unleashed a devastating attack on the Demon Lord with everything they had.

The air glowed with a mess of light and dark, good and bad, fire and lightening.

Natsu, sword raised and moving like lightning, eyes and sword burning bright as he met the crippled Demon Lord and ran him through the heart.

The demon choked, once, twice, and last as a gruesome smile twisted his lips and he crumbled into sparkling red dust.

Silence.

It was finished.

A pained smile stretched Lucy's lips, coated with blood.

It was over.

She was vaguely aware of hands, Natsu's, and voices shouting and tears falling but it was late too late and she was gone.


	7. Epilogue

Epilogue

Natsu screamed.

Erza screamed.

Levy screamed.

Mira screamed.

They screamed and wept and cursed, for the had won too little and lost too much.

They collapsed defeated on the ruined earth by Lucy's broken body.

Natsu was saying something, too quiet for ringing ears to hear, and then he kissed the swan princess, with tears flowing from his eyes and broken screams in his throat.

And then there was light.

Bright and blinding, pure white brilliance that shone from two hearts that refused to be parted, even in death.

The light dimmed settled.

Confused eyes turned to a once broken body, now sheathed in glowing white.

Breath held abated as brown eyes fluttered open and a smile brought joy to the world again.

Natsu held his swan princess like he would never let go again.

Lucy laughed, beautifully, and the fairies were filled with joy overflowing as they danced and sang and praised the gods above.

Two people locked in a crushing embrace as two hearts were made whole once more.

•••

It was only after several days of forced rest in the palace that Erza finally explained everything that had happened. Jellal, as it happened, had arrived in time through sheer luck. He was also a fairy, and had been absent when the curse had been cast. When he returned to find his friends imprisoned in animal forms he set off immediately to scour the land for a cure to free them.

Luck alone had landed him in the forest to help Erza free Lucy. While Lucy was absent Jellal had started upon lifting the curse. This took some time, which was why the fairies were forced to wait before joining the fray. With their powers restored Mard Geer was no match for the combined strength with Jellal included, and along with Natsu's overwhelming power, he didn't stand a chance.

As for Lucy's resurrection, Jellal could only assume it was the extremely rare primordial magic that had aided them. No one knew exactly what it was or how it worked, but there was a theory that the strongest magic of all was sourced from love itself. Jellal suggested that it was this overwhelming emotion that had allowed the magic to work itself. Lucy's curse had also been lifted during the events.

After celebrations had ensued, the fairies healed the forest and removed all traces of the Demon Lords vile magic. The dark-haired girl who had been enslaved was also freed, and she wept her thanks at an embarrassed Natsu and Erza's feet. As it happened she was from the village, and had been captured after wandering into the forest several months ago. She returned to her family, who rejoiced, for they had believed her to be dead. After everyone had recovered, Natsu soon proposed, which Lucy exuberantly accepted, and they were married.

More celebrations ensued, Gray and Juvia got rather close during the party while Jellal and Erza were mysteriously missing for a good portion of the evening.

With the fairies help, Natsu and Lucy had Mard Geer's castle repaired and remodelled, and it was there that they lived with their fairy friends and raised their four beautiful children among the trees with bedtime stories of demon lord's and prince's and princess's and swans and fairies and epic magic battles. A story that spun a tale through time and was recounted across the land time and time again.

 **And they lived happily ever after**

 **THE END**

 **Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed it! Please review and tell me what you thought!**


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